Det. Catherine Johnson

Catherine Johnson is a senior detective assigned to the Sex Crime Section of the Special Victims Unit within the Kansas City Missouri Police Department. Detective Johnson graduated from Park University with honors, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice Administration. Detective Johnson has over eight years of law enforcement experience with the Kansas City Missouri Police Department and has had over 400 hours of training in advanced police studies; specifically in sex crimes investigations and crisis intervention. Detective Johnson is a Distinguished Fellow with the Missouri chapter of the International Association of Forensic Nurses, a member of the Intimate Partner Violence Taskforce with Truman Medical Center, an Associate Board Member of Project GHB, as well as the founder of MoSAVE (Missouri Sexual Assault Violence Education). www.mosave.org

Detective Johnson currently assists in training new officers for the Crisis Intervention Team as well as new recruits on what to expect if they are asked to handle a call involving a victim of rape. She has developed training courses on victims engaged in high-risk lifestyles, and interviewing techniques for victims suffering from mental illness. She has conducted this training at multi-disciplinary conferences around the country, including Kansas City, MO; Columbia, MO; New Orleans, LA; and Choctaw, MS. She also presents at the training course for sexual assault nurse examiners and advocate volunteer training in the Kansas City area on what to expect from law enforcement during an investigation

During the course of her assignment to the Special Victims Unit, Detective Johnson has received recognition for her excellence, commitment, dedication, and tireless devotion to victims of sexual assault. Crimestoppers presented Detective Johnson with a Certificate of Appreciation in 2008. She also received a Meritorious Service Award from the Kansas City Missouri Police Department in 2008 and a Visionary Award from St. Luke’s Hospital Forensic Care Program in 2009.

Kathleen Hitchcock

Kathleen Hitchcock is the Forensic Nursing Program Coordinator for the Saint Luke’s Northland Hospital (Barry Road and Smithville campuses) and is an active educator to nurses, nursing students, prosecutors, advocates, EMS and law enforcement regarding the emergency/forensic nursing practice.  Kathleen is a co-educator for statewide multi-disciplinary SANE training and possesses advanced knowledge and training related to the forensic nursing care and treatment of victims of violence.  Kathleen is the nursing chair of the KC Region OVC grant project and has worked with regional nurses to develop the nursing portion of the Missouri Protocol for the Care of the Sexual Assault Patient.  Kathleen is the co-founder, and President-elect, of the Missouri Chapter of the International Association of Forensic Nursing.  Kathleen has also presented on forensic nursing at the ENA Scientific Assembly in 2008.

Ryan Rezzelle

Ryan M. Rezzelle is the Supervisor of the Crime Scene Investigation Section for the Johnson County (KS) Sheriff’s Office Criminalistics Laboratory.  He is a Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst and he is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Science, the International Association for Identification, the Midwestern Association of Forensic Science and the International Association for Identification.  Ryan previously worked for eight years as a Crime Scene Investigator for the Kansas City (MO) Police Department, with his last two years in a supervisory capacity.  Ryan has provided bi-yearly photography instruction to the SANE/COVERSA Sexual Assault Investigations Training Seminar and has provided yearly photography instruction at the Forensic Investigations conference, hosted by St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, MO.  Ryan has also been a bi-yearly instructor at the KCPD Crime Lab CSI School, covering Crime Scene Management, Crime Scene Diagramming, Forensic Archaeology, Vehicle Processing, Evidence Packaging, and practical CSI processing techniques.